For those who have both clawed and de-clawed cats, please chime in

Hello,

Tomorrow my wife and I will most likely be bringing home a new cat. We currently have one clawed female and the new female is de-clawed in the front. It sounds as if the two will get along, but that is yet to be determined.

Are there any risks to the de clawed cat if the two don't get along. Obviously there are, but I 'm just looking for experiences from owners who have both.

Oh come to my house! Twitch is 4 years old, deaf/front declawed/toothless. She yells, everyone hits the deck & runs for dear life! They're more afraid of Twitch than Ophelia who is deaf yet has her teeth & claws!

Just.....watch that clawed kitty isn't shredding declawed kitty. I don't have any issues here.

A cat without claws will usually bite in defense as that is all they have left to defend themselves with. Introduce the two slowly and there shouldn't be a issue.

When cats seriously fight it's the back claws they use to do the most damage - along with biting. If you do proper introductions, hopefully you won't see that.

Minor scuffles and play doesn't typically involve claws or at least not fully extended with intent to latch the front claws in - and that's also what the fur protects from.

Just trim your current cat's claws before the two eventually meet.

We were similarly anxious a number of years ago, when we introduced two six-year-old declawed males to our household, which was at the time run by one 14-year-old fully clawed female. We didn't even know all the prescribed ways of introducing cats to each other, though our instincts weren't far off the mark, but there was never any problem on that issue. The guys knew who was boss. If ever there was a disagreement, it was more likely to be between the guys than between one of them and Shasta.

I have 4 cats and 1 is declawed. It hasn't been a problem in our house. When the declawed one tossles with the others playfully or non he can definitely hold his own. He does a sort of rabbit kick type thing along with biting.

If you do introductions properly it won't matter - if the declawed one were at risk due to not having claws it would mean something had gone horribly wrong with introductions! It's not normal for them to want to rip each other to shreds if you do it right, after all if they both had claws you wouldn't just stand by if they started ripping chunks out of each other

Most of the time cats that get along ok discipline one another and display dominance with a swat to the head with claws retracted, nipping the hindquarters, or pinning down - none of which use claws. As with any other cat introduction, if you do it properly then claws aren't needed for defense, as there's nothing that needs defending against.

As long as the clawed one's nails are trimmed and checked weekly, you shouldn't have any problems. Treat the declawed one normally. And go slow with introductions.

Do you know if the declawed one was an only cat? If so, the fact that she will be living with another cat may be more of a problem in introductions then the fact she's declawed.

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Do you know if the declawed one was an only cat? If so, the fact that she will be living with another cat may be more of a problem in introductions then the fact she's declawed.

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Yes, the new cat is with two others. As for trimming the claws.....that's not going very well right now.

Well keep at it - in time and regular clipping, they do get better Post pictures when you can

Well we brought her home....shes all white with blue eyes. She is shy and the regular cat who we've had for 3 weeks is not happy. She seemed not to be the type to *itchy towards other animals and plus she hasn't been here that long AND came from a shelter.

The new one is in a room by herself and the regular is not interested unless we induce it. New one is very shy and I have no experience in introducing cats to one another.

There's a thread about introducing cats on the sticky in this forum called 'behavior problems, look here' (or something like that). But, honestly, I think you're off to a good start - no blood or fur flying is a great sign!

My suggestion - stay calm! I had my girl about 3 months before I adopted a slightly younger male (estimating both were about 4 years old). Yes, my girl was a little territorial about sharing her house and her human with a new guy, and there was some hissing and chasing and even a yowl or two. Within a few weeks, they were sitting on the love seat together, enjoying the sunshine. I've got to admit it really made my day the first time I saw them together.

My female has back claws, while the male is completely declawed. I was worried, but it all worked out.

Just be sure to give your 'old' cat a lot of attention, and let her know how much you love her and that she hasn't lost her place. Give them a chance to acclimate to the whole situation - it can take a while, but be patient.

Also, just in case you notice any litter box issues - sometimes the stress of a new cat may lead to that. First, check with your vet, and second, consider using Cat Attract litter and a Feliway diffuser. My boy developed some box issues but the Cat Attract worked wonders. In his case, I think he really hated the sanctuary room and didn't know how else to tell me.

And, bless you for taking in these kitties - they do sound beautiful.

Hey great advice, thank you very much I'll post some pics eventually when I get some decent shots.

Originally Posted by just1cat

Well we brought her home....shes all white with blue eyes.

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PICTURES ASAP!!!!!!



Deaf or no?

Not deaf as far as I can tell and the previous owner didn't say so. I'm working on pics

I think this has been covered but one thing to add. If you are used to cats with claws be prepared for the odd nip from the new kitty. Kismet has claws and when I annoy her with overbrushing or whatever she swats at me with her paws (not hard) cello on the other hand has no front claws and he will gently nip when he is annoyed.

Congrats on your new baby! can't wait to see them!

Pics are up, here is a link


http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=158267

Originally Posted by Cattiew

they are so so so pretty !!!! do you know why your new cat ended up in the shelter? i wonder how can someone be crule enough to put leave her alone

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They are both new, the newest (the white one) I answered an add where the owner had her, her sister and brother... all were white. The add stated owner was moving and could not take the cats. The multicolored one is from the local Humane Society. Both are about 1 1/2 years old.